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Understanding Compiled Legislative Histories
The first thing to look for when doing legislative history research is a compiled legislative history. A compiled legislative history brings together all the various legislative documents related to a Public Law in one place, making your job a lot easier. The first thing you'll want to have is the Public Law # of the law you're interested in. This can be found in an Annotated Code or sometimes on the web. Once you have the Public Law #, you can search the resources below for compiled legislative histories.
If you do not find a compiled legislative history, you can create your own by gathering the documents discussed in the tabs above.
Finding Compiled Legislative Histories
- ProQuest Legislative Insight This link opens in a new windowCompiled legislative histories of many U.S. laws from 1789 to the present.
- Congress.govLegislative History information for Public Laws from 1973 to the present. Links to bill texts from 1993 to the present. Links to the congressional records from 1995 to the present.
- U.S. Federal Legislative History Library (HeinOnline)Compiled legislative histories of selected major legislation from 1789 to 2014.
- U.S. GAO Federal Legislative Histories (Westlaw)U.S. GAO Federal Legislative Histories (FED-LH) database in Westlaw. Legislative histories for most public laws enacted between 1921 and 1995.
